The Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Panel met on Thursday 11th September 2025 to discuss the Doncaster Youth Council work plans, the statutory duties and priorities for children, young people and families, the Families First Partnership Programme, and the Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan and Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions. The Panel noted the information presented on the Doncaster Youth Council and the statutory responsibilities and priorities for children, young people, and families. The Panel also noted the vision and plan of the Doncaster Family Model, and that the Families First Partnership Programme Board will be accountable for delivery of the programme. Finally, the Panel noted the Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan and Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

Families First Partnership Programme

The Families First Partnership Programme aims to change how children's social care is delivered in the UK, with a focus on early intervention and ensuring families receive the right support at the right time.

The report presented to the panel detailed the transformation required, the council's vision and plan, and progress made so far. The report also covered:

• The establishment of local multi-disciplinary family help services
• The strengthening of multi-agency child protection
• Increasing the role of family networks

The goal is to create a seamless system of support, prevent crises, and help families stay together and thrive.

The Department for Education (DFE) Children's Social Care Prevention Grant is in place to increase funding for prevention activities for children and families through the implementation of Family Help and Child Protection reforms. The grant is intended to be used alongside the Children and Families Grant, which enables the continuation of existing early intervention and prevention services. The Prevention Grant allocated is £2.6m and is ring-fenced with specific grant determinations against this, and a requirement to update DfE on a quarterly basis. It has been confirmed the funding will continue for a further 3 years as part of the June spending review announcements.

The report stated that:

There is a commitment across the Doncaster partners to develop the Doncaster Family Model, our local response to the Families First Partnership Programme; with an ambition to transform the way that preventative, help, and safeguarding services are delivered across Doncaster over the next 4 years.

The report detailed that the DfE requires local areas to start implementing changes from April 2026, using the first year to focus on creating an environment for transformation.

The Doncaster Family Model is governed by the Families First Partnership Board, chaired by the Director of Children's Services (DCS) and connected to the Doncaster Safeguarding Childrens Partnership (DSCP).

The key milestones and KPIs in the implementation plan are:

• Year 1 (up to March 2026): Focus on engaging with families and stakeholders to develop the Doncaster Family Model, mapping existing services, and piloting new ways of working.
• Year 2 (April 2026 to March 2027): Embed Family Support, Family Help, and Family Safeguarding into practice, with a skilled workforce. Aim for a 5% reduction in children subject to child protection plans and in care, with an increase in those open for Family Help.
• Year 3 (April 2027 to March 2028): Finalise culture changes. Aim for another 5% reduction in children subject to child protection plans and in care, with an increase in those open for Family Help.
• Year 4 (April 2028 to March 2029): Consolidate the programme as business as usual. Aim for a 10% reduction in children subject to child protection plans and in care, with an increase in those open for Family Help.

The report stated that over the four years of implementation, the CYPF estimate:

• Early Help numbers will increase from 302/10,000 to 320/10,000.
• Children supported by a Children in Need plan will increase from 1,985 to 2,491.
• The number of children subject to a child protection plan will reduce by 25% (from 409 to 307).
• Overall reduction in the number of looked after children from 503 to 423 (20% overall).

The Panel resolved to note the vision and plan of the Doncaster Family Model, and that the Families First Partnership Programme Board will be accountable for delivery of the programme.

Statutory Duties and Priorities for Children, Young People and Families

The report provided a detailed briefing of the statutory responsibilities that the local authority must provide for children, young people, and the families of Doncaster. It was reported that there were more than 200 statutory responsibilities, which covered a wide range of areas, that included education, health, social care, and safeguarding. The second part of the report outlined the priorities, the rationale for making them priorities and how they will be delivered and progress to date.

The discussion involved the following areas:

• Voice of Children and Young People – A question was asked about how the views of children, young people, and families were incorporated into the support they received and the services that were available. Reference was made to the previous presentation from Youth Councillors which covered a broad range of areas where this has taken place. In addition, areas were highlighted that included through conversations with peers, Youth Workers, Early Help staff, Social Care Workers and Teachers, and also undertaken through assessments, planning, young people running youth surgeries in various wards and surveys such as Make Your Mark (2004 having 13,000 students responding forming the highest response in the region and 4th highest response nationally). Issues such as park lighting, park improvements and community safety in respect of the need to make sure young people felt safe were highlighted as a result. Finally, reference was made to the importance placed on the Children and Young People Plan that had been written by children and young people, with 8 ambitions and a series of actions.
• Best Start Priority - Following the government's announcement to roll out family hubs across every local authority in England (offering parenting support and youth services), further information was sought on what was available within Doncaster. Members heard that Doncaster had a strong Family Hub offer, and had also invested in the Early Years offer, retaining 12 altogether (with 3 in each locality). An outline was provided of what the hubs offered that included parental support, mother and baby clinics, talking together sessions and play therapy sessions. It was noted that 40,000 visitors had attended and when surveyed, 98% of visitors responded that they had received a positive experience and would recommend the hub to friends to access that support. It was continued that Doncaster was cited as best practice by the DoE and was announced as a Pathfinder area to receive additional funding due to its strong evidence base. It was felt that in terms of the new strategy, Doncaster was well placed in principle for a continuation of funding for Family Hubs and Start for Life over the next three years and in the next budget. It was felt that this may allow Doncaster to enhance its offer around building an outreach provision to those parts in Doncaster that did not have a Family Hub building. It was explained that the 500,000-figure related to the Early Years aspect of the Family Hub offer and the national target of 500,000 more childcare providers across the country (meaning 995 extra places in Doncaster). Members were informed that there was a confidence that this target would be met in Doncaster with 679 (68%) additional places already being achieved. Finally, it was outlined that what had been Ofsted inspected had been incredibly high, with 95% of day nurseries being rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted, 99% of childminder being rated as good or outstanding and the uptake of 3 or 4 year olds (to be able to access a childminder up to 30 hours a week at no cost to parents) was significantly above the national average at 95%. It was noted that Doncaster was supporting this sector with funding received nationally, with 95% of that funding being passed directly though to childminders and providers making sure Doncaster was growing a sustainable high-quality provision.
• Parental Engagement - It was felt that parental engagement had always been good but that more could be done. It was noted that a great deal of engagement had taken place and examples demonstrating this was provided. In respect of the Early Years, Members were informed that 91% of young people aged under 5 were registered with a family hub with 84% of those attending at least once and 63% attending on a regular basis which therefore presented opportunities for engagement. It was explained that schools also had regular opportunities to engage with parents as so did Social Workers. It was recognised that it was crucial to hear the parents voice as part of the engagement undertaken to provide the best services possible.
• Accelerating Achievement Priority – Reference was made to the recruitment and retention of the best teachers and leaders. It was acknowledged that this was a national challenge around education staff in general (including support staff), in multi-academy trusts, maintained schools and single academy trusts who as the direct employer were responsible for their own workforce strategies. Efforts were being made across the partnership to work together to develop a shared strategy, as one of the priorities within the Education and Skills Strategy. The Council offered direct support to maintained schools around recruitment and to governing bodies and schools around Headteacher recruitment. It was continued that there was a raft of support available such as the Doncaster Leadership Programme and high-quality professional development offer. Additionally, work was carried out with support staff in schools and developing a framework to make sure that there was mentoring and professional development in place to allow progression within those roles and retained within the Doncaster education sector.
• Accelerating Achievement Priority - Reference was made to the positive picture for attainment at Early Years Foundation Stage and KS2, particularly KS2 Reading and Maths. Concern was raised in relation to the 16+ key success indicator of GCSE Maths and English Grade 5+ which was only 43%. Members were told that year on year there were improvements outcomes for KS4 in terms of what secondary schools were doing to increase this percentage and accelerate progress from KS2 to KS4. It was reported that with those Grade 5 (basics measure) had seen an improvement of 5%, which last year had closed the gap by 2% but still behind the national average. It was outlined that when the KS4 measure was considered, progress 8 (which was measured around how children had done), had now gone in line with the national average despite Doncaster having more deprived communities and more children with low prior attainment. Members heard how secondary headteachers were keen to improve that basics measure by establishing a working group to take that forward. There was an optimism that the overall outcomes will have improved for English and Maths by September.
• A New Model of Post 16 Education – A Member asked whether an increase in Higher Education destinations rates were created by high value good employability Higher Education qualifications. It was responded that it was, alongside the Councils work improving access to higher education in the city. Examples were provided including what had been delivered through the University Campus at Doncaster College. Other areas highlighted included:
  • Since 2023, the Institute of Technology had provided a strong vocational focus with higher end technical qualifications.
  • A wide range of higher education courses and opportunities such as Degree apprenticeships being offered as well as degrees.
  • A Careers Hub in Doncaster within the work and skills service which included the Zero Gravity Programme. Members were informed that the Career Hub worked with 34 education settings across the city and a network of employers to offer a high-quality careers provision to young people.
  • Members heard that the Zero Gravity Programmes, was an online platform which provided support to students to access higher education and university placements. It was reported that since 2020, 350 young people had secured university results and were more likely to gain a place by using it.
• Not in Education Employment and Training (NEETs) - Examples were provided of the post 16 pathways that had supported a reduction in NEETs. Reference was made to the increasingly broad range of provisions that were coming into Doncaster, ensuring a better fit for the needs of vulnerable young people and the offer available at 16. It was felt that improvements had taken place across the education sector around right support and guidance supporting them to the right destination and had meant an impact on NEET rates. Reference was made to the strong provision coming through Doncaster College and Harrison College who had undertaken a number of employability options for children and young people with SEND with a focus on engineering. Members heard that within our specialist sector, the provision at Stonehill School was considered as outstanding and that more young people were opting to go the Communication College and the Ridge, funded through the high needs provision. Members were informed that young people with Educational Care and Health Plans, were taking up different sources of offers such as supported internships who were able to provide job training and job coaching to support their way into employability. Officers expressed that they were pleased with the increasing numbers of young people progressing into the workplace and the increasing number of providers who were able to offer those places. It was explained that future sufficiency plans were going to identify an expansion of places within that sector to improve the amount of vocational and specialist options for young people.
• A New Model of Post 16 Education – A Member commented on the good news that doubling AAB (A) Level results had risen from 8% to 17% and asked how that compared to national figures and whether there were lessons that could be applied to GCSE results. Members heard that Doncaster was previously below national performance but there was now a strong and improving picture in Doncaster. It was considered critical for those top grades to be achieved by our 18 years plus, and that GCSEs were on a steady projection of improvement. Members were informed that over the last 3 years, GCSE outcomes had gone from below average to being in line with the national average for the key progress 8 measure.
• New Skills and Pathways for Fulfilling Life and Work – A Member spoke about how employability was significantly increased by having English and Maths at Grade 5+ GCSE or equivalent and asked what level of adults were engaging in further education to gain these. It was stated that adult learning was a key area of focus for the Council and therefore growth was expected in the area over the next year, with an increased allocation of £640,00 adult skills funding going into the service (taking budget to £1.45 million) and with £340,00 going to DN colleges to expand their provision and meet demand. It was explained that the Adults and Family Community Learning (AFCL) delivered support to adult's (19 years plus) to access learning to increase skills and access further learning, employment and selfemployment. It was explained that this included the delivery of Maths and English provision up to Level 2 (GCSE equivalent) and that colleges were the main providers for those subjects for adults. The Panel was provided with some insights from the council learning that included how 169 learners looking to improve their English, Maths and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and saw a 6% increase in Maths and English provision overall. It was stated that the additional funding would see the service expand its curriculum and focus on providing skills to help Doncaster residents to increase their employment prospects. It was noted that there were 4 key delivery strands, and an outline was provided of each one:
  • Skills for Life
  • Family Wellbeing and Volunteering
  • Digital and Sector Skills
  • Pathways to Work
• Equitable and Inclusive Learning – Further information was sought on the mandate for local authorities to hold a statutory Elected Home Education (EHE) register. Members heard that Doncaster had an effective EHE register in place and that work was undertaken closely with partners and schools to ensure that the Council was informed when a child entered EHE. It was hoped that Doncaster would have the right mechanisms in place to provide those who chose EHE with the appropriate support. It was felt that the legislation was not explicit enough on how the Council could enforce attendance should there be certain concerns. Members were informed that the legislation suggested that where there were concerns around vulnerability or safeguarding, then the Local Authority could step in and refuse to allow the parents to deregister their child. Reference was made to attendance supervision orders that had been in place since 1996 and that order could potentially come into play under that legislation. It was noted that there was further work to undertake around safeguarding, with more effective social care interventions as well as part of a continuum of support. Reference was made to the number of other pieces of work taking place such as visits to EHE children and the measures in place to look at quality of education. Members heard that the act would achieve royal ascent by the end of the year and could be in place by 2026. It was thought that Doncaster could have a fully functioning position by 2026/2027, although it was acknowledged that there might be complexities as with any new legislation. It was recognised that there were some families who had not worked with the Council previously and that the Council already tracked a number of those children (referring them back into services where there were concerns).
• Families First Partnership Programme – Regarding the funding grant for the programme, it was explained that it was a standard term of condition from the Department for Education (DFE) that if the money was not used, it could be taken back. Officers expressed confidence that the Families First Partnership Programme would be able to reach its objectives. Members were informed that families had voiced how they told their story more than once through multiple assessments when passed from service to service through referrals. Families also stated how they preferred the continuity of a single worker throughout the process and receiving that support earlier, which the programme aimed to provide. It was outlined that new governance arrangements were now in place to oversee the delivery and by holding ourselves to account (as well as the DFE) through a programme board and number of work streams that sit underneath. Following submission of the first quarters return on progress, it was relayed that initial conversations with DFE were indicated as positive. Members were informed that a response may be received within 4 to 6 weeks following a return, but it would be expected to have been made of aware of any issues at this stage. Other pieces of work included a practice group looking how to move changes along such as moving to a single assessment. It was noted that a group was looking at performance and a transformation group was looking at implementing the changes and co-designing with children, families and partners. Reference was also made to pathfinders that had been running this programme for over a year and that Doncaster was in a partnership with Warwickshire. It was also noted that the Service Directors within the Directorate were leading on this for Yorkshire and the Humber (involving 13 other Local Authorities that we can also take learning from). Members heard that feedback through partners indicated that the Council was further forward in their discussion and were monitoring progress in other areas.
• Children's Social Care – It was reported that there had been an increase in the timeline of assessments (completed within 45 days in quarter 4 2025) and at 96.2%, was the highest since 2021. Officers explained that previously Doncaster had experienced some workforce instability for a period of time and that one of the most significant factors in improving assessments and timeliness was having the right workforce capacity to meet front door demand. It was acknowledged that although there was an increasing and high number of assessments coming through, the timeliness was solid due to a settled workforce. It was considered important to ensure a quality assessment also and therefore a great deal of auditing was undertaken as well.

The Panel resolved to note the content of this report and the breadth of statutory responsibilities, the priorities and how they will be delivered, and progress to date.

Doncaster Youth Council Work Plans

The report provided information for the Panel to inform them about Doncaster Youth Council and their work. In addition to the report, a presentation was provided by members of the Youth Council, which covered their roles and responsibilities that included Make Your Mark along with follow on campaigns such as eating disorders and Crime and Safety.

The presentation covered the following areas:

• Doncaster Youth Council and Impact
• Elections
• Members of Youth Council
• Diverse Representation
• Make Your Mark/Top Issues
• Recent Campaign Work

Clarification was provided that meetings were carried out both in person at different venues such as the Youth Hub and at different times as well as remotely. It was also stated that the Youth Council attended youth conventions, which were approximately every half-term and that members of the Youth Parliament attended an annual conference meeting where they met with other members of Youth Parliaments across the UK.

The Panel resolved to note the information presented at the meeting by the Doncaster Youth Council.

Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan and Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions

The Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan and Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions was presented for information and it was noted that an update on Children's Residential Homes within Doncaster be requested.

Councillor Kieran Lay made a statement around R Local, a proposed digital platform designed to unite Doncaster's community and its features. A question was asked around its potential to support the Panel's priorities, such as the Youth Council's work plans and statutory duties for children and young people. Officers agreed to discuss this further with Councillor Lay outside of the meeting.

The Panel resolved to note the Overview and Scrutiny Work Plan and Council's Forward Plan of Key Decisions.